Socktober Success!!

Yeah! I did it!

One month dubbed Socktober. One pair of socks:

Project Stats
Started: 1 Oct '10
Finished: 31 Oct '10
Pattern: Leyburn by Erin (PepperKnit)
Materials: Noro Kuyeon Sock,
colour 150, 1 skein ($10)
Don't they look pretty? I really love this yarn. If you look at the colours in the socks starting at the toes, you can see that my socks would have almost matched. (The right one above has a little more grey at the beginning.) BUT with the knot at the left heel my colour pattern was interrupted and so they don't match. Or they don't matchy match. Of course they obviously go together so that's matching enough for me.

And the knot caused me to get two shots of the bright aqua blue that I love on the left sock. Ok, I can live with that.

The second sock went much faster than the first.
1. I didn't have to undo the toe and the first 4 inches of the leg like I did on the first.
2. Related to #1, I had done the stitch pattern about a thousand times already and was starting to know it pretty well.
3. I think I took a couple more lunch breaks at work which I used for knitting.
4. I got serious this weekend and knit like it was the end of Socktober and I really wanted to finish the socks I had started.
All of that helps.

I'm very excited to wear my socks tomorrow and am busy planning what outfit will best show them off. Troy suggested Saran wrap (arguing it would not clash with the socks and that there's nothing there to distract from the socks. I begged to differ.) His second suggestion was shorts (if I insisted on clothing) but I don't think that will be happening either. Whatever it is I do find to wear, feel free to stare at my socks as long as you want. I won't even say, "Hey buddy, my eyes are up here..."

Back to the knitting...I can heartily endorse this pattern. It's well written and produces a lovely pair of socks. The stitch pattern is not stretchy and does require a rather precise fit. You may need to experiment with different needle sizes as I did.

These socks used a short row toe which I am enjoying more and more. Easy, quick and smooth--it doesn't produce the bulky looking decrease/increase lines that a regular toe has. I also used a short row heel which I used to dislike intensely but am beginning to appreciate. I think, in part, because I am learning how to adjust the heel to fit better. (My first short row heels didn't provide enough room around the foot at that crucial widest part.)

I did this heel over 31 stitches instead of the recommended 25 and did more rows than most as well. I don't know if I have a particularly big heel or if I have to make that adjustment because my foot is quite narrow, but in any case it seems to have helped.

Of course the yarn itself really makes these socks sing. I can't take any credit for that. My favourite LYS doesn't carry Noro and I probably won't go looking for it. But if it "falls into my lap" as this one did, I certainly will enjoy it. Knots and all.

I have some good memories associated with making these socks as well. I got to knit the leg of the first one while on a walk with my sister and niece on a perfect fall day. I knit the toe of the second sock while on a hayride with friends at a church picnic on another perfect fall day. I wasn't worried about straw on my socks as lots of yarn comes with grass still on/in it, but I was a little terrified of losing my bamboo needle in the loose straw!

Here's hoping I make some good memories while wearing them too!